The Bookshop Owner
by Eternal Thief
Summary: A new merchant has set up shop in Konoha. He's a simple Bookshop Owner. Or is he? Uzumaki Naruto returns to Konoha armed with years of knowledge, untold abilities, a bookshop, and a bottle of sake.


Bookshop Owner

Chapter 1: Welcome to Konoha

The village of Konohagakure no Sato. The Village Hidden in the Leaves. One of the Great Five villages of the Elemental Nations strong enough to have its leader claim the title of "Kage." A thriving, bustling, metropolis filled with people from all over the Elemental Nations, there for trade and for entertainment.

The shinobi populace operated in the dark of the village. Behind the scenes and in the shadows. They maintained the peace and the order of the village, and ensured its continued existence through taking on missions and through displays of military prowess.

The children of Konohagakure attended the Shinobi Academy or the Civilian School. The Academy taught children the delicate arts related to a career as a shinobi, while the school taught basic skills and trades to ensure a successful life as a merchant or laborer. The children ran about the yard and played as though there was nothing amiss with the world, and like they weren't being trained to mercilessly take the life of whoever they were paid to.

But those thoughts were far from their minds. Today was a day of joy and of celebration. Today was the day of the Genin Exams. The day that the aspiring students would learn whether or not they would become part of a four man cell, one jounin and three genin. They would learn whether or not their hard work for the past six years had paid off, and if they had devoted their lives thus far to something important. This mattered to every single twelve year old in Konoha.

Except for one.

Just inside the front gates of Konoha stood what appeared to be a short man. A very short man. If one had inquired about his age, he would have answered that he was only twelve. One wouldn't think him to be twelve, the weathered look in his eyes, the numerous scars that lay beneath his long brown cloak, and the jug of sake slung over his shoulder said otherwise.

The boy wore a large brimmed straw hat, nine bells hanging around its brim. They jingled lightly as he walked slowly down the streets of Konoha, glancing from side to side at the numerous storefronts that he passed. He passed by one storefront before stopping and walking backwards a few paces, before a predatory grin slowly spread across his face, his bright cerulean eyes lighting up with glee at the dilapidated storefront, a lone "For Sale" sign decorating its front.

The Kage of this grand village, the Hokage specifically, one Sarutobi Hiruzen, sat in his office going through stacks of paperwork that littered his desk. Applications for jobs, permits for jobs, re-zoning requirements, law change approvals, law change denials, sales tax approvals, and on and on the list of papers went. The Hokage was the only one in the village with the authority to approve almost anything, so every form and every paper, however seemingly insignificant, had to cross his desk and receive his signature.

This antiquated system of consolidated power placed a heavy burden on the aged Hokage. He sat behind his desk and sighed as the stacks of paper never seemed to end. The monotony of his day was finally interrupted when a knock came upon his door.

Looking up from his work, Hiruzen shouted, "Come in!" perhaps a bit too excitedly before clearing his throat and trying once more, "I mean, enter."

The door opened to reveal a pretty, young face with shoulder length brown hair. The young girl smiled at the Hokage. "There's a young man to see you Hokage-sama. Something about a store for sale..." The girl trailed off politely, still smiling as all receptionists do. The Hokage nodded.

"Send him in please." The smiling face disappeared behind the door. It wasn't long before the door opened once more and a short man stumbled into the room. The Hokage wrinkled his nose as he smelled the scent of sake wafting off of the newcomer's clothes. The man finally found his way to a chair across from the Hokage's desk before slumping down in it. The Hokage waited for the figure to speak, but received only silence in return. He leaned forward and heard a light snoring coming from the man in the chair.

The stranger had fallen asleep. Sighing, Sarutobi cleared his throat. The man didn't move. Sarutobi cleared his throat once more. The man still didn't react. Sarutobi finally cleared his throat so loudly it sounded as though a lion had taken up residency in his vocal chords. The stranger finally gave a start and sat up, puzzled as to what was going on.

"Huh? Wha-? What's going on? Where am I?" The stranger glanced around the office trying to decipher his surroundings. The Hokage gave him a strange look before speaking.

"Excuse me, but you're in the Hokage's Office in Konoha. May I ask who you are and why you requested a meeting with me?" The figure finally turned towards the Hokage, the brim of his hat covering the majority of his face.

"Well Hokage-sama, I'm just a simple travelling book salesman. I've been on the road for quite some time but I've decided to settle down in Konoha for an... extended period of time. Long enough that I will need a store. And I've found just the one! Store #47 of the Market District! Currently repossessed by the Village and for sale! There have been no takers for the store as it is in a successful portion of the Market District and the sale price for such real estate is very high. Currently possessed by the Village, the Konoha Charter states that a loan cannot be given out to pay for the property meaning it has to be paid in full up front, which no merchant so far has been willing to do." The Hokage blinked at the man's knowledge of the property and the laws concerning its sale and purchase.

"Well, you seem familiar with the property. I suppose you're wishing to purchase the property. If that is the case, then I'll need the money for the property, and your signature and proof of your residency in Konoha or application for residency." The Hokage pulled out several documents. Those concerning the sale of the property and application for residency in Konoha.

The stranger held up his hand when the Hokage handed him the papers for applying for residency. "Those won't be necessary Hokage-sama. I'm actually technically a resident of Konoha. I don't have the proper papers with me, but I can provide a Konoha-Citizens Identification Number. If you check it with your records I'm sure you'll find that it matches one citizen in particular. I've got the money with me now if you'd like for me to fill out the paperwork and you can just transfer the deed to my bank safe later. Once I've arranged for one to be opened in my name of course." The Hokage nodded in agreement.

"That would be fine..." The Hokage trailed off waiting for the man to give his name.

"Oh! Are you waiting on me?" The man gave the Hokage a grin. "I'm sure you'll find out my name later. Now where did I put it..." The man started feeling around the inside of his cloak. He finally stopped and gave an "Aha!" Biting his thumb he swept it across the inside of his cloak. A bag appeared in his hand. He handed it to the Hokage who opened it to find a stack of bills waiting inside. "I assure you Hokage-sama, the correct amount is there. I've checked the price of the property and I've brought the right amount of money. You can check it if you'd like, but it'll all be there. I'll let you know when I've set up the bank safe for the transfer of the deed. I look forward to doing business with you in the future Hokage-sama." The man smiled under his hat and stood up, tossing the completed paperwork on the Hokage's desk.

He left the room, his cloak swirling behind him, a lingering smell of sake still hanging behind him. The Hokage looked down at the K-CIN that the man had written down, his eyes widening before a smile spread across his face. The 10-digit number assigned to every Konoha Citizen at Birth or at their induction as a citizen of Konoha. A very unique number stared back at Sarutobi from the paper. This particular number contained one number repeated nine times, and a letter.

000-000-000-K.

He looked up and turned to look out the window at the city of Konoha that lay beneath his tower.

"Welcome home... Uzumaki Naruto..."

A/N: Wow. I realize I've been gone for a ridiculously long period of time. I've started my college career and my free time has dried up almost completely. I basically lost inspiration for all of my other stories, and looking back on some of them, I've realized just how juvenile some of my writing was. I'm making an effort to bring this story up to a greater standard and to improve my writing abilities further by providing a quality story without the juvenile qualities my other stories have.

Thanks for reading, drop a review and let me know what you think! Hopefully some more chapters will be on the way soon!


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